Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1898 — WHAT IT MEANS. [ARTICLE]

WHAT IT MEANS.

Some of the Dangers in Trying Democratic Policies. When one casts his vote for the Republican state, congressional ana county tickets this f&ll he will vote to sustain a national policy that, while protecting home industry, has brought about an era of glorious prosperity and patriotism. Any check to these conditions, through a policy of tho unlimited coinage of silver, the restoration of tariff for revenue reform or the curtailment in the least of the right of the United States to be sole arbiter of what she has won by war, would be unprogressive. unpatriotic and in the end disastrous to the country’s destiny. The possibility of such disaster attends everything tho Democratic party proposes. Among the possibilities of Democratic experiments is the loss of a rapidly growing exportation from the United States of iron and steel products, which in 1880 were $59,000,000 less than the importations. This year the value of onr iron and steel products sold to foreign consumers has reached $30,000,000. Ic is better to hold to the policy that has developed prosperity than to experiment with one that would develop risks. One of these risks, for example, might be the destruotiou of the cotton mills in the United States. That alone would mean the stoppage of $300,000,000 circulation, the wrecking of $860,000,000 capital invested and throwing out of employment of 160,000 workers. Or it might meau the stoppage of our progress In iron and steel manufactures, which annually turu ont a product that keep over $400,000,000 in circulation, furnish investment for a like amouut of capital and employs 800,000 hands. They furnish sustiuauce for 1,000,000 people. Or it might mean detriment to all branches of manufacture and industry, driving capital away, throwing people out of employment with , all that implies in loss to farmers and mechanics. The country is only two years away from such a deplorable oondition of closed factorios, impoverished people and stagnated trade. It existed under the retrogressive policy of Democracy; there was no relief except under the progressive policy of Republicanism. It was absolute confidence in the latter that rapidly brought uround every condition of prosperity the country now enjoys. A vote for a Demoerat means the ultimato destruction of that prosperity.